Howard Law Welcomes the Class of 2020

After a week of orientation activities that included an intro course on U.S. Law and the American Legal System; a lecture on Title IX and violence prevention; a panel discussion on how to succeed in law school; a session on financial literacy; and a host of other events including a campus tour, barbeque, student organization fair, and a pinning ceremony, the class of 2020 is officially part of the Howard University School of Law family.

“Orientation was a complex week of academic enrichment, administrative instruction and social bonding for the students,” said Reginald McGahee, associate dean of admissions and student affairs at the law school. His office planned the weeklong slate of programs. “In all phases, the orientation was a rousing success,” he said.

The busy week of activities culminated in a pinning ceremony, a tradition at Howard University School of Law for more than a decade. The more than 140 students comprising the class of 2020 received a special “JD” pin to welcome them to Howard. The new students were pinned by Howard’s deans, faculty, and alumni, who come back to campus each year for the special ceremony.

“The pinning ceremony is an occasion that fills us with pride,” said Dean Danielle Holley-Walker.

HUSL’s class of 2020 comes from across the country and around the world. Nearly 82% of the students are black; the remaining 18% are Hispanic/Latino, Asian, White, or mixed race. The class of 2020 is 70% women and 30% men, said Dean Holley-Walker. According to recent data, the higher ratio of women to men is a significant trend at law schools across the country.
(See https://www.enjuris.com/students/male-female-law-enrollment-2016.html).

On Monday, August 21, the class of 2020 joined the classes of 2018 and 2019 to begin the school year. “For another year, our family is complete,” said a proud Dean McGahee. “Now it’s time to start the process all over again.”